Toy for tumbling down vertical surface

• US 4,884,989 A
• Filed: 12/28/1988
• Issued: 12/05/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: T K WONG and Associates Limited
• Original Assignee: T K WONG and Associates Limited
• Inventors: Wong, Tak K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US07/291,105
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• Field of Search: 446/168, 446/169, 446/269, 446/431, 446/437, 446/491, 446/291, 446/316, 446/314, 446/324, 446/465
• US Class Current: 446/168
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 15/00 Other gravity-operated toy figures

Abstract

A toy which is capable of moving on a substantially vertical surface and which is provided with separated regions of a sticky material, the regions defining at least two planes in which the toy can rotate or tumble, which planes are non-parallel to each other. Preferably the toy has two parts pivotably connected together with each part bearing separated regions of the sticky material, whereby axes of rotation defined by respective pairs of the regions can be moved relative to each other.

Claims

1. A toy which under the influence of gravity will travel down a substantially vertical surface, said toy comprising

two separate and pivotally connected parts adapted for being positioned one above the other on a surface,

each said part including two separated regions of a sticky material, and a pair of said regions defining a respective axis of rotation or tumbling of said toy down the surface, the axis extending generally along the surface,

the adhesivity of the regions of sticky material being selected so that said regions of sticky material will adhere to the surface when they first contact the surface and then under the influence of gravity acting on the toy the then upper said regions will become detached from the surface so as to free said toy to rotate or tumble successively down the surface about the said axis of rotation defined at said pair of said sticky regions still then adhering to the surface,

the two said parts being pivotably connected together so that said toy is arrangeable in a first configuration in which said regions of sticky material lie in a common plane and in a second configuration in which said regions of sticky material lie at the corners of a tetrahedron.

2. A toy according to claim 1, which is generally humanoid in appearance.

3. A toy according to claim 1, in which said two parts of said toy are each comprised of a plastics material.

4. A toy according to claim 1, wherein as said toy tumbles down the surface, the said pair of regions which at a particular time define the axis vary between the two said regions of one said part and a respective one of said regions on both of said two parts.

5. A toy which under the influence of gravity will travel down a substantially vertical surface, said toy comprising

two separate and pivotally connected parts adapted for being positioned one above the other on a surface,

each said part including at least one region of a sticky material, a pair of said regions defining a respective axis of rotation or tumbling of said toy down the surface, the axis extending generally along the surface,

the adhesivity of the regions of sticky material being selected so that said regions of sticky material will adhere to the surface when they first contact the surface and then under the influence of gravity acting on the toy the then upper said regions will become detached from the surface so as to free said toy to rotate or tumble successively down the surface about the said axis of rotation defined at said pair of said sticky regions still then adhering to the surface,

the two said parts being pivotably connected together so that said toy is arrangeable in a first configuration in which said regions of sticky material lie in a common plane and in a second configuration in which said regions if sticky material lie at the corners of a polyhedron.